Sieve the mixture into a bowl; return any lumps to
the food processor and blitz again. (You may want to
repeat this process if you want it really fine.)

The
result will be a slightly ashy colored mixture—now
that's real vanilla sugar!

Store it in an airtight container. It should last
you for ages.

Don't buy vanilla essence and don't buy ready made
vanilla sugar. It's so expensive you don't get much
and you can so easily make a much better version
yourself. You should use vanilla pods. Although the
pods are quite expensive, the recipe works out much
cheaper in the long run because of the amount you
can make.

Don't buy vanilla pods that are dry and hard—buy
them fat, sticky and squashy. What we want to do is
infuse the natural flavor of the vanilla pods into
the sugar. It is perfectly fine, and obviously
quicker, just to pop the pods in an airtight
container with the sugar; you will achieve a subtler
flavor. I really like this recipe though because you
get the maximum flavor from the pods.